


Day 21- Honesty

by Broken_Clover



Series: Autistic Creative Challenge 2019 [21]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Accidental insults, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Creative Challenge, Gen, Honesty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 19:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18556078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: Honesty seems like it should be a simple concept. Then again, most things involving humans aren't.





	Day 21- Honesty

Humans like honesty. Except when they don’t. But they do. Sometimes. Maybe.

If she’s being totally honest, Peridot doesn’t actually know for sure. Affront honesty is a valued trait in Gem culture, almost as important as obedience to the Diamonds. Despite being a more emotionally-driven species, it seemed logical that humans would prefer being spoken to honestly instead of being lied to.

Except, as it turned out, not even Gems responded well to full honesty. Without even meaning to, she’d managed to hurt all of the Crystal Gems’ feelings through her blunt truthfulness. It still confused her quite a bit.

She liked to think that she was still learning, though. Steven was a very good Earth-teacher. He sometimes took her along to Beach City to join in on his daily escapades. It was definitely the sort of things that humans would call ‘fun.’

On this particular instance, one of Steven’s human friends spotted the two of them while Steven was trying to explain the purpose of a rollercoaster on the boardwalk.

“Steven, hi!”

“Connie!” Steven spun around to greet his friend brightly. “I didn’t know you’d be here today!”

“Mom said I could come down if I finished my chores early. And I did!” She crossed her arms confidently.

“That’s awesome! We can all play together now!” The boy gestured to his other companion. “You’ve met Peridot, right?”

“Yeah, we’ve met.” Connie kept her bright smile, but it wavered a little. “Hey, Peridot! Um, do you like my new shirt?” The article in question was purple, patterned with little cartoon stars and a cat curled up in the middle, sleeping.

The Gem tilted her head. “That creature is improperly proportioned. And the garment’s hue looks very peculiar on you.”

Both Connie and Steven were quiet. The girl was the first to speak up. “...Oh.”

“Um, so, why don’t we go on the rollercoaster?” Steven offered, sounding slightly off. “Peridot hasn’t ridden this one before.”

Connie was looking off into the distance uncomfortably. “Yeah, sure, whatever you want.”

Peridot was wondering why the atmosphere seemed to have changed. This was supposed to be fun, wasn’t it? So why weren’t either of her companions smiling like they had been? None of the games seemed to be eliciting the excitement that they were supposed to. She just didn’t understand.

She was trying to figure out what to say, when Steven mentioned lunch. Without thinking, she grabbed his arm and pulled. “An excellent idea, Steven, why don’t we go find some?”

After taking him a good distance away, she grabbed him by the shoulders and let her confusion become visible. “Steven, what is happening? The level of enjoyment seems to have taken a sharp turn. Am I missing something here?!”

“Woah, woah, Peridot, just calm down, okay?” Steven carefully pulled himself free, looking equally confused by her outburst. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out! Why are you both behaving so oddly? Did I say something incorrectly? Why is the Connie appearing so distressed?”

“Ohhh. I get it.” He nodded. “Peridot, Connie’s upset because she thought you’d like her shirt.”

“Well, I don’t dislike it, I just thought it was strange.”

“Yeah, but it’s not really something you should say.”

“Do you...want me to lie?”

“No, no!” Steven shook his head. “Hmm...this is really difficult to explain…” He pressed his hands together. “You can be honest and not be hurtful at the same time. Connie really liked her new shirt. Can’t you say something nice about it?”

Peridot looked no less lost. “I never said anything hurtful. All I said was that the animal was improperly proportioned and the color was strange on her.”

“Yeah, but the way you said it was kind of mean. You don’t have to lie, but I’m sure there’s still something nice you can say, isn’t there?”

She was quiet. “Would that make her happy? Would that negate my earlier comment’s undesired connotations?”

“Probably!” Steven took her by the hand. “C’mon, I don’t want Connie to think we left her behind.”

They managed to find her on a bench. She looked incredibly relieved to see them, letting out a big sigh. “Oh, you guys, you really scared me! I didn’t know where you’d gone off to!”

“Sorry about that, Connie. We were just trying to find some food.”

Peridot cleared her throat. “Yes. And while we are speaking, I have something I’d like to say to you, human Connie.”

The girl looked a little uncomfortable at the prospect. “Sure, what did you want to say?”

“I realize that in hindsight my words regarding your clothing were improperly conveyed.” Peridot tried to keep her stiff posture, but wavered a little. “And it also has come to my attention that I have unintentionally hurt your feelings, which I hope you will forgive me for. I am not used to seeing you wearing that color, which is why I labeled it as ‘peculiar.’ While peculiar, that is not inherently ‘bad.’ In fact, I admire your dedication in trying something new. It is very admirable. And I like the star pattern.”

Connie’s expression shifted. Now, she looked ready to start laughing. “Thank you, Peridot. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, Connie.” Peridot smiled proudly.


End file.
